Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ["AO" Version] [PC]

For many, the streets of Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas are more familiar than those of their own home towns. PlayStation 2 gamers have been exploring every inch of these mock-towns since Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas landed like a bombshell last fall. Eight months later, Xbox and PC owners are finally able to get their passports stamped and do some prospecting of their own. This port is a must buy for anyone who enjoyed the last two GTA games, but those who've already toured the wonders of San Andreas on the PS2 will want to skip this trip.

Each of the modern GTAs has featured a strong leading male role, and San Andreas is no different. You play the role of Carl "CJ" Johnson, a former banger who fled Los Santos five years prior. The murder of his mother has brought him back to town and into the thick of the city's underbelly.

Los Santos, modeled after Los Angeles, features an amazing diversity of cultures and income brackets, resulting in plenty of strife. Here, the homeless, drug dealers, crooked cops, new-age Mafiosos, and prostitutes all rub shoulders. You're never at a loss to find something to do, and when you consider that Los Santos is just one of three cities to explore, you get a feel for the scope of the game.

The last three GTA games have been all about free-form gameplay. San Andreas takes that concept to new heights with mini-games, flying lessons, skydiving, bike riding, gambling, and of course, the requisite missions required to help drive the storyline. One of the biggest improvements in this iteration is the ability to personalize CJ to suit your taste and your style of gameplay.

The customization starts with the typical clothing and hair options, but moves far beyond that. If you like, you can spend a few minutes in the gym every day to turn CJ into a muscle-bound thug. Or, you can hang out at the pizza parlor and go for the fashionably obese look. Performing actions like riding bikes or even just running increases your skills, making you better at the multitude of actions you can perform.

The game is very free-form in terms of how you play it, but as you run around in this giant dysfunctional sandbox you'll work your way through a very involving storyline told with some fantastic acting. You'll immediately recognize Samuel L. Jackson's voice in the opening cutscene, and later you'll hear from Ice T, Peter Fonda, Debi Mazar, and Chris Penn, among others. Additionally, the game features a comprehensive soundtrack that will keep just about anyone happy. The PC and Xbox releases feature the ability to play your own music tracks as well, but if there was ever a game that didn't need this function, this is it.

The game has the sound, but sadly it does not have the look. No GTA game has ever been at the height of the curve. The Xbox version is virtually indistinguishable from its PS2 predecessor. In fact, those running the game in 480p mode on progressive-scan televisions will find that the game can actually look worse thanks to some ugly aliasing that makes things look blurry. The pixilated textures and claustrophobic draw-distance are also still problems.

The PC version is much better, but isn't on par with other current releases. Featuring higher-resolution textures and an adjustable draw-distance, the game addresses the two main visual problems. But it's also an awful system hog. One thing the Xbox version includes that's missing from the PC is a replay feature, letting you watch the last 30 seconds of real time at any angle. Unfortunately, a save feature was not included, so the value of watching your replays is somewhat limited.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is by far the biggest game in the series. Gamers who aren't turned off by the nefarious and illegal activities will find this to be one of the most engrossing games ever produced. If you have the time, patience, and the moral fortitude, this game will easily keep you busy until the next GTA title lands. No, the graphics aren't anywhere near cutting edge, but the production values are off the charts, and those who missed the PS2 version will certainly find it was worth the wait.